by Hla Min
Updated : June 2025
by Soe Paing
Updated : June 2025
Thank you [HM and KMZ] for all the updates. I enjoy reading them and can feel the excitement and enthusiasm of the participants and the organizers. I wish I could be there for the REUNION and visit my old haunts in the Bay Area.
The least I can do is to contribute something about the Sayas who will be attending the SPZP-2000 Reunion. I would like to say something about Saya U Ba Toke and my friend Sayas Allen Htay and Ko Tin Maung Nyunt.
I am very happy to hear that Saya U Ba Toke will be making the trip to the Bay Area. Saya U Ba Toke was our Math Saya in I.Sc.(A) at Yankin College in 1956 and I.Sc.(B) at Main University in 1957. He was a lecturer and Sayagyi U Kar who also taught us in 1957 was the Professor. He was a very good lecturer. I still cannot believe how he can write pages of notes on the
blackboard in a very nice handwriting. I think he became Professor of Mathematics in 1958 when U Kar retired. I remember that in 1958 we had to request him for recommendations to apply for places in universities in the States. He gave me a great recommendation for which I am still very grateful. I met him again when he joined RIT as the Professor of Mathematics before I moved to UCC. The last time I saw him was some months back at the funeral of the father-in-law of Dr. Khin Maung Win (Met) and the father of Khin Than Nwe (T62).
Allen Htay was a brand new Saya when we joined the Engineering College in Leik Khone in 1958. I remember him teaching Engineering Drawing to the Chemical & Textile first year students like Khin Than Nwe (T62) and my high school friend Richard Than Se (ChE62). I met him again in August 1963 when we took the same ship SS Warickshire from Liverpool on the way back home.
Ko Tin Maung Nyunt, Ko Ko Lay (UCC, GBNF), and Ko Than Pe (Chartered Accountant, ADB) were also on the ship. We spent about two months on the ship with about 4 weeks in Colombo. We played ping pong [table tennis] and swam in the pool during the day. We played Bridge [card game] every night after dinner with Ko Tin Maung Nyunt and Ko Ko Lay as partners and myself partnering either Allen Htay or Ko Than Pe. We went on land at Port Said (at the start of the Suez Canal), Port Sudan and Aden in the Red Sea, and Colombo, Kandy and Nuwara Elyia in Sri Lanka. All of us became very good friends.
On arrival home in 1963 Allen Htay rejoined RIT in Gyogone. I was then assigned to the RIT Electrical Engineering Department in January 1964. We were together again when Ko Tin Maung Nyunt joined the Agricultural Engineering Department some months later. Ko Tin Maung Nyunt was one of our regulars on the Saya Football Team. We remained good friends as all of us stayed in the RIT estate. Ko Tin Maung Nyunt then left for the US via Thailand. I joined the UCC in 1971. Allen Htay then left for the US. The last time all of us got together was in 1988 in the Bay Area.
I am also glad to hear that my old colleagues from the EE Dept Ko Sann Tint (another Saya Football Team regular) and Ko Sein Maung will be attending the reunion. Please pass on my best regards to my Sayas, colleagues, friends, students and all participants.
Congratulations to you, the organizers and to a successful REUNION.
U Soe Paing was my mentor at RIT and UCC.
During my visits to Yangon, I paid respect to U Ba Toke. Sayagyi is a Phwa Bet of Rangoon University and the First RU Students’ Strike in December, 1920.
Saya Allen Htay (GBNF), Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt, U Ko Ko Aye (GBNF), Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) and I used to meet once a month.
by Hla Min
Updated : June 2025
Last time I met him was at Ko Nyan Win Shwe son wedding. His mom was my primary school teacher.
by Hla Min
Updated : June 2025
KMZ wrote :
KJ, thanks much for posting these old stories, sharing with the rest. We really had many interesting and amazing characters there in those days. We, the three so-called musketeers, made things much more interesting, pushed the envelope so to speak. But thanks to all the Sayas – Saya Paing, Saya Myo, Saya Lay and seniors like you, UTAG etc, we were able to do whatever we felt like it there. I know for sure that we offended many people there, but with the great rapport and support from many of you, our mischievous acts, intentionally or not, were pretty much forgiven.Like I said a few times here, those were the good old days.I would like to thank all of you for what we did there, and sincerely ask for your forgiveness if we, especially myself, indeed offended any of you. I am indebted to all of you. Sayas, seniors, contemporaries, as well as some juniors, as I learned a lot while I was there.
U Tin Win wrote :
In my days in UCC, U TAG was CE and ICL computer’s printer was line printer and it could print only 120 char/line. To get 160 char/line, UTAG modified the line printer by joining the original plastic printer shaft with another short shaft. One day, he came to the engineering workshop and said he would modify it. First he cleaned the desk workplace where he would join the shafts. At that time, an apprentice engineer (Ko Khin Maung) came into the room and saw U TAG cleaning the desk. Then, KKM, shouted, “Whoo! .. actually modification of printer is just Cleaning the desk”.
Myint Myint Thein wrote :
I felt young again reading about the good old days at UCC.
by Hla Min
Updated : June 2025
Some monks may highlight their accomplishments
A monk may be addressed by
Venerable Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa, served as “Chief Respondent” at the Sixth Buddhist Council (1954 – 1956) in Yangon,
He earlier passed the Tipitaka Examination with Distinctions in all subjects.
The Guinness Book of World Records recognized his memory and the feat of reciting 8000+ pages of the Pali Canon.
Thus, he could be addressed in several ways “
by Hla Min
Updated : June 2025
It may stand for
Tag may mean a label.
In FB, tagging a post makes a copy to the Timeline of the person being tagged.
There are pros and cons for using FB tags. e.g. Someone may receive multiple of a post that is being revised incrementally.
In FB, the individuals in a photo may be tagged. There are pros and cons for using FB photo tags.
Some algorithms used by FB to process photo tags have features. e.g. I have a photo with U Osadha of Dhammananda Vihara. FB asked me to tag Ashin Pannagavesaka (Uzin Bobby Myo Tun, A69) even though he was not present in the picture. The algorithms do not handle the case correctly for Theravada Buddhist monks.
In the early days, there is game called “Tag”.
There used to be Rag Tag Bands.
by KMZ
The last group I worked in my first company. Took me 10 years in that company to get into that group, starting from the very bottom when I arrived in US. The very first year in US, every interviewer told me I would get bored in several months in the job I interviewed for. Some of them even referred me to outside Agencies.
This first company was and still is, a retail company, where technology and IT were treated as second class citizen. Even worth the new retechnoligies we tried to push out, the higher ups were not enthusiastic about it. They see IT being the money spending “Cost Center” not a “Revenue Generating” aka merchandise selling department.
After they pushed out long time VP of IT was transferred to newly created online entity website, TAG was abolished. I was in the middle of another technologies, Data Warehouse/Data Mart and Internet, got transferred into Database group.
IBM, having deep connections to our IT, we were running Big Blue, like any other big IT shops. IBM got a foot hold to sell their web/internet technologies. I was in the minority of IBM’s internet products (1997/1998), and was pushed aside. It didn’t work out well so Microsoft’s Professional Services was brought in. My former VP asked me to come to his new department, but I got pushed aside again because Microsoft folks complained that I asked them too many questions.
That was the end of my career with the retail company.
Au Revoir!!! Adios!!!
by Hla Min
Updated : June 2025
On the morning of October 5, 2000, Ivan called me and asked how he can support the “RIT Alumni International” Activities. He earlier donated $360 to cover the hard costs of running the http:/www.ex-rit.org web site for a year.
He had written a check of $1200. He would donate $1000 to the SPZP and $200 to the Alumni General Fund. When I thanked him, he said,
“I’m not donating to your pocket. I’m donating for a good cause. The time you’ve put in definitely much more than $1200. I want you guys to set up a formal organization and a permanent fund”.
He became a Golden Sponsor for SPZP-2000. There were five Golden Sponsors:
Ivan wrote to Daniel Tint Lwin (M69), Saya U Aung Myint (M69) and KMZ (EC76, Web master).
I have been staying at East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA for a long time. EB is a small nice town between New York City (40 miles south) and Philadelphia (60 miles).
I got my MIME in 1976 from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, New York City. I hold both New York State and New Jersey State Professional Engineering (PE) licenses.
Back in 1974, I worked as a nuclear engineer in a Nuclear Power Plant. By 1982, I was working as a senior mechanical engineer at the major chemical/petrochemical plants. I performed planning, scheduling, design, specification, procurement, construction management, client interfacing, trouble shooting, etc. —
In 1988. I purchased the engineering and construction firm where I was chief engineer and operation manager.
In 1992 I purchased a garden apartment with 46 units and established a realty company.
In 1996 I purchased a co-generation power plant which produces power and steam/hot water to the hospitals, but this one was not doing great, so I gave up within two years.
I slowed down my engineering and construction business in 1998. The only business I am working part time is the real estate business. I own two office buildings and two single family houses. I have a beach house at the NJ shore and spend most summer there.
I have two adult daughters. The elder one graduated from Cornell University with Mechanical Engineering Degree and is working as a financial institution at Wall Street in NYC. The younger one graduated from an artist college and is doing photo for Amazon website advertisement in New York City. My wife is from Burma as well. We never returned there, since we immigrated.
I spend my time purchasing/selling stocks daily, managing the real estate business and playing Bridge [a card game]. That is my hobby. I am a Bronze Life Master in ACBL (American Contract Bridge League).
That is my life. I would like to add one more thing. When my wife and I came to USA, all we had was $60 plus $1200 air tickets loan from Pan Am.
Most of our classmates and friends are smart, intelligent, and willing to work. But a few have business mind to motivate or establish their wealth. I will talk with you more if you are interested.
Talking about donation : last year, I proposed to the Myanmar Ambassador in Washington, DC, to donate my engineering documents, books, technical catalogs, etc to Myanmar. The offer was not accepted.
Does RIT have email address? I’d like to email to the staff of RIT. I like to say “Hello” to Naw Mu Mu Aye (T69). I heard she is the Head of Textile Department at RIT.
In another e-mail, Ivan wrote :
I have helped at least 75 relatives people immigrate to USA. I have sponsored at least 200 relatives, classmate, friends to USA without spending a penny to the lawyer. I had provided air tickets fees, lodging facilities, food, and transportation. I also helped most of them look for suitable jobs for most of them. I also arranged their children to go to school. This is not an easy assignment, need a huge heart to do that. My wife is of tremendous help in doing these projects. It took us more than 10 years on a consistent basis to do the projects.
I donated about $1,000,000 to my childhood school via Ko Aung Myint back in 1991/92. The school has 1000 students. They have named their assembly hall after me.
The message I’d like to offer is “When you are available, you should be able to contribute your assets (including knowledge, money, personal involvement) back to the society”.
by Hla Min
Updated : June 2025
U Aung Min (M69) & team would organize 69ers to pay respect to Saya around his Birthday.
Earlier events were at Winner Inn.
The photo below was taken at Saya’s new house.
Maurice Chee, U Win Khaing (GBNF) and several M75 had a reunion. They then visited Winner Inn to pay respect to Saya.
He distributed his Memoirs.
He received a Photo Album from his younger brother U Tin Htoon (A60).
He donated the Garawa money that he had received from the SPZPs to charities
by Hla Min
Updated : June 2025
by Hla Min
Updated : June 2025
HlaMin 